Bulls beat Hawks 91-84, Korver extends 3-point streak

January 04, 2014|Reuters

Bulls beat Hawks 91-84, Korver extends 3-point streak

CHICAGO - Most of the Chicago Bulls are former teammates of Atlanta guard Kyle Korver. So they weren't planning to put an emphasis of snapping Korver's NBA record streak of consecutive games with a made 3-pointer.

Korver, who played for Chicago for two seasons from 2010-12, stretched his streak to 103 games by knocking down a corner 3-pointer two minutes into the contest. Overall, though, the Bulls played well defensively and beat the Hawks 91-84 on Saturday at the United Center.

Forward Mike Dunleavy scored 11 of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter, lifting the Bulls (14-18) to their fifth win in the last seven games.

"At this point, we're a few games under .500, so anything to get a win," Dunleavy said. "I don't really get into personal matchups. Tonight in the fourth quarter, the guys did a pretty good job of finding me coming off screens and stuff and we were able to score just enough points to win."

Guard Jeff Teague and forward Paul Millsap led Atlanta with 16 points each. The Hawks dropped to 2-3 since losing center Al Horford for the season with a torn pectoral muscle.

"It was a defensive battle," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Mike Dunleavy really had a heck of a second half. Many of the shots he hit were contested well."

The Bulls kept the lead for the entire second and third quarters, but Atlanta (18-16) tied it early in the fourth on a 3-point play by Mike Scott. The Bulls answered with a 3-pointer by Dunleavy and tip in from Noah to quickly regain a 72-67 advantage, which they never relinquished.

Atlanta lost some potential points later in the fourth quarter. Korver knocked down a corner 3-pointer with 4:18 left that would have pulled the Hawks within 84-82. But at the next stop in play, the referees reviewed the video and ruled Korver did not release the ball before the shot clock expired, negating the basket.

"Yes, it hurt when they took away that 3-pointer," Korver said. "I guess I should have shot it faster."

On the Hawks' next possession, forward DeMarre Carroll released a 3-point shot and made contact with Noah, who was contesting on defense. Instead of three free throws for Carroll, though, officials ruled he kicked out his legs to create the contact and called an offensive foul.

In the meantime, Dunleavy tipped in a Noah miss and Gibson finished an alley-oop dunk off a pass from Noah. Those baskets capped an 8-0 run to boost Chicago's lead to 88-79.

"I think it was an ugly game," Noah said. "We didn't play well offensively. Sometimes when things aren't going our way offensively, I feel like we get upset. I think that's normal. I think today, we showed a lot of resiliency. We fought hard."

The Hawks got as close as 88-84 with 2:41 left after Teague's steal and fast-break lay-in. Atlanta got a defensive stop, but turned it over on the next possession, resulting in a Noah free throw with 2:03 remaining. The Hawks missed three more shots while trailing by five points before Deng put it away with a pair of free throws.

Just before halftime, Deng tossed in a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to give Chicago a 50-45 lead at intermission.

NOTES: Chicago F Carlos Boozer sat out with a sore right knee. The injury happened Thursday during a win over Boston and kept him out of practice the following day. Coach Tom Thibodeau said an MRI proved negative, so the team is hoping this injury won't keep him out for long. Before this one, Boozer had missed just three games in the past three seasons. ... Before the game, Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer was asked about C Pero Antic's decision to double-team Golden State G Stephen Curry on Friday's final possession. The double-team left Warriors G Andre Iguodala unguarded, and he knocked down a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer in Atlanta. "I think he just made an instinctive play," Budenholzer said. "Steph Curry is one of the best players in our league. Getting the ball out of his hands is something you could argue is a good idea." ... The last time the Hawks played in Chicago, on Jan. 14, 2013, they scored just 58 points -- second fewest in franchise history.